The Painful Truth

Your health should always be your number one priority. Understanding any condition that could be affecting your body, including any illnesses, disorders, or possible infections you could have, is critical for taking control of your health. When it comes to women’s health, endometriosis is a disorder that plagues women around the world. If not properly diagnosed, endometriosis can affect your reproductive organs as well as overall health.

What Is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a painful disorder in which tissue that would normally line the inside of the uterus, grows on the outside. This disorder can start as early as puberty. The only way to verify endometriosis is to undergo a diagnostic laparoscopy, with pathology verification of the operation’s samplings. Currently, there is no exact cause of endometriosis, but a large number of possible explanations that include retrograde menstruation, immune system disorders, and surgical scar implantation. There is no cure for the mysterious disease, but effective treatments are available.

Symptoms of Endometriosis

Endometriosis causes infertility and ovarian cancer affecting over 200 million women globally. Many women suffer for a decade or longer due to a delay in diagnosis. You don’t have to suffer in silence. The earlier you consult your physician, the sooner you can find relief. Contact your doctor if you are experiencing one or more of the following symptoms:

Unbearable cramps

Painful sexual intercourse

Long menstrual cycles

Nausea or vomiting

Bowel or Urinary disorder

Infertility

Fatigue

The issue with endometriosis symptoms is that most are not exclusive to this disorder. If your symptoms are not correctly checked and diagnosed, they can continue to affect your everyday life.

Understanding How Endometriosis Occurs

The endometrium is the layer of tissue that lines the inside of your uterus. Each month like clockwork, this layer thickens in preparation to welcome a fertilized egg. If that egg is unfertilized, the thick layer of tissue accumulated inside your uterus will shed, creating your monthly menstrual cycle.

Endometriosis occurs when the accumulated tissues form around the outside of your uterus. The tissue has no way to leave your body and is trapped inside of you. This build-up may cause ovarian cysts as well as adhesions – bands of fibrous tissue that can attach reproductive organs to one another.

The built-up tissues still respond to your monthly menstrual cycle. When you begin to menstruate, the tissues readily activate and start to shed onto the reproductive organs they are attached too. This inflames your fallopian tubes, ovaries, intestines, and causes severe pain in your pelvic area, cramping, and painful intercourse.

Consult Your Physician

Symptoms for endometriosis are similar to those of other diseases such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID,) irritable bowel syndrome (IBS,) appendicitis or ovarian cysts. Many women are often misdiagnosed. Endometriosis can become a debilitating disorder for women if not treated properly. Half of its victims are burdened with the inability to conceive and in some cases, ovarian cancer.

It can be challenging to deal with this disorder, but an early diagnosis will help you manage your symptoms and get a jump start on treatment options.

If you or someone you know suffers from endometriosis, early treatment can be the difference between living your best life or suffering through it. Win the fight against endometriosis! Communicate with a physician and specify your symptoms to receive the best possible treatment. Contact Women’s Physicians of Jacksonville today.